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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25540621">Late Nights</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kage_no_Arimasu/pseuds/Kage_no_Arimasu'>Kage_no_Arimasu</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Partners in "Crime" [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Apex Legends (Video Games)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>And now i was convinced to make it a series, Boring american it is, F/F, Modern AU, So uh... seems odd to add it now?, So... low-mid twenties, graffiti!Wraith, honestly was NOT expecting it to be so long, i completely forgot to add French for Nat, imma say they are all about college age?, just some fluff, mechanic!Wattson, oh boy, so its now a small collection of stories in no particular order</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 09:39:54</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,385</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25540621</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kage_no_Arimasu/pseuds/Kage_no_Arimasu</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Renee is a street artist that works in the cover of night, known only by her artist tag: Wraith. Natalie is a mechanic that runs her deceased fathers business. The two meet one faithful night all thanks to the fact that neither seem to know what sleep is.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Wattson | Natalie Paquette/Wraith | Renee Blasey</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Partners in "Crime" [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1855384</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>53</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Late Nights</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Helloooo again! I've been on a Darksparks roll can you tell? Anyways, in a Darksparks server im in, we were talking about... something. Honestly cant remember, but it lead to a graffiti Wraith skin idea and my brain instantly went: "FIC?!?!" and here you go! Its... very long for a one-shot from me, the ending is kinda rushed, but i do hope you enjoy it! Also, note i finished this after a rather sleepless weekend so pardon any spelling errors &lt;3</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Renee absently tugged at the dark scarf that was wrapped securely around her neck, nervously glancing down the dark street. Currently, the dark haired woman was on her way towards a small mechanics shop that she had passed earlier that day. If she was being honest with herself, the only reason why she had chosen this particular building was because she had caught sight of a pretty blond woman working there. So, she had decided that the building would be the next spot for her art; even if many others would just call it vandalism. Which, in all fairness, it was. Yet, she didnt think of it that way. The city streets were just too… boring. The entire city needed more color. So, she figured this was a good way to use her art skills. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Peering around the edge of a building to make sure no one was around, Renee jogged across the street towards her destination. “This is a stupid idea,” she grumbled to herself, yet made no move to leave as she threw her long hair up into a loose bun. She had never spray painted a building that was actually </span>
  <em>
    <span>used</span>
  </em>
  <span> still. For the most part, she would just mark up worn down buildings that no one used anymore. If she got caught now, it was very likely she could get fined or tossed in jail. With a slight wince at that thought, she unclipped her respiratory mask from her belt, pulling it over her head to cover her nose and mouth. Better safe than sorry, besides, it did also help hide her identity a bit as well in the case she should get caught. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Renee paused, looking around to see if she could spot any security cameras relaxing slightly when she didnt spot any that were pointed towards the area she was planning on marking. Looking up had light blue eyes locking onto the sign that labeled the building: Wattson’s Automotives. Their mascot seemingly a strange dinosaur looking thing? How odd. Renee shook her head a little, but at least the design would be easy enough to do something with. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Next, she unhooked her light source from her belt, setting the device on the ground. The poor thing was absolutely covered in paint splotches, but hey! It still worked! Pressing the button, the area around Renee was lit in a soft glow, not too bright, but she could at least see what she was doing now. Content with her set up, Renee grabbed her first can and set to work. Starting with the black, she gave the can a light shake, smiling faintly under her mask. As nervous as she was at the chance of getting caught, she really did love this. Pressing on the trigger, Renee painted a long, slightly curved line to start. Honestly, prior to coming here, she had absolutely no idea what it was she was going to draw. So, she was doing something she did best, and winging it. Letting her imagination do as it pleased. The only thing she was looking for, was for whatever she made to match the building in a way. She wasnt marking it to vandalize after all, but hopefully to get others to notice the place like she had. Well… Not the cute blonde that worked there, but still. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Renee felt her cheeks warming up slightly at the thought of the woman that worked here, </span>
  <em>
    <span>I hope she likes it. Guess i’ll find out tomorrow if the cops are called or something…</span>
  </em>
  <span> She thought to herself, letting out a soft sigh. She dont know what she’d think if she walked by tomorrow to find the art covered, cops around, anything of that nature. With a faint wince, Renee refocused on her work, figuring there was no backing out now anyways. A good portion of the lines were already done, but if she were to guess, the rest of the piece would probably take another hour or two. When she had left her apartment it had been a little past midnight, meaning that she should be fine with very minimal traffic. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Taking a step back, she looked over her work so far, nodding slightly to herself before rehooking the black spray paint to her belt. Grabbing the next color she’d need, Renee continued on her work, repeating the process a for about a half hour. It was when she was </span>
  <em>
    <span>almost </span>
  </em>
  <span>halfway done, that things took a turn for the worst. While Renee was preoccupied with what she was doing, she failed to notice the alley cat that was sneaking its way past her. So, when the woman took a step back she ended up almost stepping on the feline, causing it to shriek and dash off into the bushes. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Renee barely held back her own scream when the cat just about scared the shit out of her, but instead, simply clutched at the scarf around her neck, breathing heavily to calm her racing heart. Getting her breathing back under control, she bent down to pick up her light that had gotten knocked over, before straightening again. Brushing her fingers through her bangs, flicking them out of her eyes, Renee grabbed her paint can once again and gave it another shake. Yet, just as she was about to continue, a femanine voice had her pausing in her tracks.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What do you think you’re doing?” </span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>Natalie knew she had yet another late night ahead of her. A customer had set a rather ridiculous deadline, wanting practically an entire remodel of a piece of scrap he called a car done in a weeks time. Yet, he had offered quite the amazing payout if she managed it, so she would get it done, no matter how many sleepless nights it took. While the electrical, inner workings were more along her speed, Natalie was no pushover. This was her business after all. Well, her fathers, but seeing as he had passed away not too long ago, the company was handed down to her. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, the blonde picked up her wrench again, setting to work once more. She had chosen to take a brief coffee break, seeing as it was around 1am, and knew that she wouldn’t be able to stop until her morning crew came in for the morning. That, unfortunately, wasnt until 8am. “I still cant believe this guy… An </span>
  <em>
    <span>entire</span>
  </em>
  <span> rework! Interior! Exterior! </span>
  <em>
    <span>Everything!</span>
  </em>
  <span> In a weeks time!” She grumbled to herself. Of course, she could have refused the job, but then her business would have suffered. Sure, she has her usual customers that knows that she knows her stuff… but this guy? Someone that held power and could very easily leave a poor review that would make them suffer. Oh, she’d get it done. Sleep be damned! </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sitting back on her mechanics seat, Natalie laid down on the board before kicking herself back under the car. For awhile, the only sounds to be heard where those of her wrench loosening old parts. Natalie would give them a glance over, decide if they could still be used or not, before either tossing the piece or simply set it aside. The process went on for around an hour, the woman having moved from her spot only for another brief coffee break, before something broke her routine. Outside, a cat screeched, surprising the mechanic to the point that she ended up smacking her head against the underside of the car, letting out a string of curses in the process. Grumbling, Natalie kicked herself from under the car again, rubbing at her head with a faint wince. “What the hell…?” she mumbled to herself, looking at the opposite end of the building where she thought the sound came from. Sure, it was nothing new for alley cats to be fighting around here, but still. With a grunt, Natalie pushed herself to her feet and made her way to the security cameras. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sleepiness momentarily forgotten, Nat plopped down in the swivel chair, bringing up the camera footage. While they didnt have anything pointed at that wall (why would they when there were no windows along that wall?), but brought up the live footage from the camera that was angled at the back. It wasnt like she expected to see anything, except maybe two felines still going at it, but instead, her attention drifted to something in the bottom corner of the screen. Squinting a little, Natalie could only raise an eyebrow slightly as it looked like a light source of some sorts shifted, before disappearing once more. “Is someone over there…?” She voiced to herself, looking at the other wall with a faint frown. She had no idea what anyone would want to do with this place, but she wasnt about to let her store get robbed! Jogging over to her large tool box, Nat grabbed the largest torque wrench she had before going to the back door. Thankfully, she had thought to oil the old hinges earlier in the day after the damn thing almost didnt want to open, but now it opened with scarcely a sound. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Making sure the door closed just as quietly, Natalie snuck around the side of the building, peering around the corner. What she saw just about had her heart stop. A fairly petite woman was reaching for a spray can, giving it a small shake. Nat glanced down a little, spotting the small lamp of sorts that must have been the light she saw before, before looking back at the woman. While Natalie couldnt see exactly what the other was working on just yet, she stepped around the corner, leaning her shoulder against the cool bricks with a slightly raised eyebrow. One hand was resting on her hips while the other (the one holding the torque wrench) was dangling at her side. “What do you think you’re doing?” She questioned, unable to hide her faint smile as the dark haired woman stiffened at her voice. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“O-oh i, uh, n-nothing?” The woman stuttered out, turning towards her with wide, pale blue eyes. Upon noticing Natalies glance at the can in her hand, the woman seemed to sheepishly hid it behind her back. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Natalie chuckled softly, already knowing this small human wouldnt be much of a threat. Straightening her posture, the mechanic walked towards, absently waving her hand as the woman looked like a deer caught in headlights. “Relax. Im not going to call the cops,” she said, adding a silent: </span>
  <em>
    <span>probably </span>
  </em>
  <span>in her head. Whether she called the cops or not depended on what exactly the woman had done to her side wall. To her mild surprise, the rather skittish woman didnt bolt at her approach, but instead stepped aside to let her get a good look at what was done. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before Natalie was essentially an enlarged version of her company's logo, done in a slightly different style, with her company's name written in a lovely font across the top and bottom. In between was her signature Nessie mascot, done in a slightly more realistic style. What looked like lightning had just started to be done from “behind” the drawing, but wasnt yet complete. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I, um, saw you earlier…” The dark haired woman started to say, shaking Nat from her silent shock, causing her to look at the slightly smaller woman. Noticing that she had the mechanics attention now got the other woman to lightly pull her scarf up to cover her mouth (even though she had yet to lower her mask yet anyways). “The wall looked so… plain. I wanted to give it some color,” she ended up mumbling out, voice muffled by both the mask and her scarf. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Natalies eyebrows rose slightly, her attention drifting back towards the partially completed work for a moment, seemingly contemplating something. Just as the other women was starting to squirm from the extended silence, did the blonde finally speak up. “Whats you’re name? And i dont mean your tag, Wraith,” she asked, turning towards the artist with a faint smile. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The woman perked up a little as the other called her by her artist tag, clearly not expecting the other to have heard of her. “You know of me?” she asked, waiting for Nat’s nod before lowering her scarf again. After a moments hesitation, she then reached up to loosen her mask, allowing to to fall so that it hung around her neck. “Renee,” she said as she extended a hand out towards Natalie. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Natalie gave a soft chuckle at the others surprise, her smile genuine, before listening as Wraith gave (only what Nat could assume) was her actual name. She watched as Renee extended a hand for a shake, accepting the offered hand. “Natalie,” she said in return before releasing the others hand. “So...It seems a shame to leave this half finished. I dont know how long you traveled to get here, but feel free to come inside once you’re done. I’ll probably be up all night anyways, so let yourself in through the back door,” she said with a wink, turning to head back inside, lifting her wrench to rest on her shoulder. Seemingly remembering something, she stopped at the corner, looking over her shoulder with a bright smile. “Oh! It looks great by the way,” she said, jerking her chin towards the graffiti before rounding the corner completely. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Natalie smiled faintly to herself as she made her way back inside, resting her large wrench against the work table. When she went outside, she definitely hadnt expected Wraith, Renee rather, to mark her business with her art. Last she knew, the woman only marked abandoned buildings. A soft chuckle passed Nat’s lips, she also hadnt expected the other to be roughly her age and so easily flustered. It was honestly adorable. Plus, the others looks at her muscled arms hadnt gone unnoticed by her either. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Adorable,</span>
  </em>
  <span> Natalie thought to herself with a faint smile, a faint rosy color tinting her own cheeks. She doesnt know what really came over her when offering the woman to stay here (Seeing as Natalie lived here, the shop also serving as her home), but she wasnt even sure if Renee would accept her offer anyways. With a soft sigh, Natalie went back to the piece of junk car, getting back to work. At least she was more awake now.</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>Renee’s heart was just about to explode out of her chest. When Natalie had come around the corner with that huge wrench, she thought she was done for! What she hadnt expected, was for the woman to compliment her work and offer a place to stay the night if she so chose. Almost as quickly as the encounter started, the blonde had left, leaving Renee alone again. The dark haired woman let out a slow breath, finally remembering to breathe. “Holy shit…” She breathed out, hand reaching up to grab at the scarf around her neck. Taking a few moments to collect herself, Renee continued her work, now humming a soft tune to herself. </span>
  <em>
    <span>At least i dont have to worry about getting arrested now!</span>
  </em>
  <span> She thought to herself with relief. Her cheeks were still warm after the encounter. It was almost as though Natalie was actually </span>
  <em>
    <span>flirting</span>
  </em>
  <span> with her! It was nice to finally have a name for the face too. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Taking a single large breath in through her nose, Renee held the breath for a few moments before sighing it out softly through her mouth. Refocusing, Renee raised her mask again and set to work on finishing the piece with little care in the world. Now knowing that she also didnt have to rush was nice as well, allowing her to simply work at her own pace. It was still an hour or two before she finished,  lowering her mask and taking a step back to appreciate her work. If she really focused, she could hear a faint banging coming from inside, meaning that Natalie was still up as she said she would be. Gathering her things, Renee grabbed her mini lamp last, turning it off before making her way towards the back door. Unsure if she should knock, she did tap her knuckles against the door a couple times just in case before poking her head inside. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hello?” She called softly, receiving a: “in the garage!” in response. With a faint- although nervous- smile, Renee made her way towards the main garage area when she spotted a pair of legs poking out from under a rustbucket of a car. She hovered near the entranceway, not wanting to risk getting in the way, simply waiting for Natalie to finish up. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It wasnt long until Natalie pushed herself out from under the car again, a bit more grease on her face than before, eyebrow slightly raised. “Done already?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Renee covered her mouth with a hand, barely stifling her giggle at the sight, before nodding. “Its been about an hour and a half,” she said in response, actually chuckling softly at the others bewildered look. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Damn you’re right… Well, I’ve done about all I can to this tin can anyways. Follow me Renee!” Natalie said, pushing herself to her feet and lightly posting off her hand on her jeans. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Renee nodded slightly, following the other to the other side of the building where a door lead to a staircase leading up to the second floor of the shop. “And you’re sure its fine if i stay the night…?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Natalie nodded, turning on the upstairs light once the pair reached the top. “I technically own the place now… Besides, I’d feel bad just sending you away in the dead of night after you added some life to that boring old wall,” she said in return. “I dont actually have a spare room though so… Couch or share with me?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Renee blinked, eyes widening slightly at what the other said. “Its no problem! I wanted to… Im just relieved you’re not mad,” she said with a soft sigh, awkwardly rubbing the back of her neck. With Natalie’s offer however, she could feel her face flushing again. She was half tempted to say she’d take the couch but then again… “If you’re fine with sharing?” she ended up saying with a shy smile. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Natalie looked over towards the other, smiling slightly, as she grabbed Renee’s wrist, lightly leading her towards her room and giving the small tour in the process. Pointing out the bathroom (that really being the only other room besides the kitchen), before flicking on the light to her room. “I do apologize for the mess... “ she said with a sheepish shrug. She normally didnt have people over, being too busy to really go out and make a lot of friends. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Its no problem,” Renee said softly, looking around for a place to set her stuff, but Natalie reached out a hand with a soft smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ll take your stuff. Just going to set it on my desk,” Natalie said, her words seemingly relaxing the other, as she took off her utility belt and mask, handing them over. “Right over here,” Nat said, making sure Renee saw where she placed her belongings, before she moved towards her dresser. “You can borrow some of my clothes if you’d like. We’re roughly the same size anyways…” She said, digging out two pairs of pj’s, tossing one pair to the other girl. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“T-thank you?” Renee said, just managing to catch the clothes that were tossed her way. Honestly, she wasnt used to such kindness. From a complete </span>
  <em>
    <span>stranger</span>
  </em>
  <span> no less… but it was nice. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The two changed in relative silence, crawling into bed. The two simply faced each other, not saying much of anything at first, before eventually just starting to… talk. It seemed neither girls were used to any sort of affection but… they were trying. They talked until early in the morning, before eventually passing out with soft smiles on both of their faces. By the time morning came, Natalies employees (family friends more like), didnt even bother to wake her up, already noticing the work that was done on the car. As far as they were concerned, it was about time that she relaxed (and made a friend judging by the security footage after discovering the graffiti along the side wall).</span>
</p>
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